The Moon: Earth's Companion

Thank you for everyone's support, I've been overwhelmed with the response so far. As we approach 6,000 supporters, I wanted to take a moment to share with you the behind-the-scenes process that went into creating this build.

The centrepiece of course is the highly detailed brick built Moon. To achieve this, I started with a high definition reference image, split it into a grid of Lego studs, and then painstakingly went stud by stud to translate it into a corresponding brick and colour in my design.

I started with a traditional Lego Art approach of 2D dots but I wanted to bring it to life my making it more 3 dimensional.

My next attempt was to add topographical texture by mixing in bricks, plates, slopes and more.

However, one of the biggest challenges with this approach was finding the right balance between artistic license and accuracy. It was important to me that the design was both visually appealing and easy to recognise, while still being faithful to the moon's actual appearance, and took several attempts to get right.

With this in mind, I also knew that the design needed to include more than just the Moon, it needed to be something that space fans (like myself) would be drawn to and would want to proudly display in their homes.

I decided to style it like a poster and experimented with other aspects of the design such as the title, background and adding in other elements such as the scale, the phases of the moon

and even a diagram of a solar eclipse.

I originally settled on focusing the poster on the Apollo landings and included a mini lunar lander and command module, with an astronaut minifig and gold studs on all the Apollo landing sites.

However, after receiving feedback from Lego Ideas, I decided to change direction and focus instead on the moon's relationship to Earth and included the Earthrise panorama seen in the final submission.

The build was a true labour of love, taking over a year to design and perfect. But I'm glad that my hard work has paid off and I'm excited to share my creation with the world. Thank you all for your support so far, and please continue to share and help us reach 10k supporters, we're almost there!

As we approach the 2,000 supporters milestone, I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of the inspiration behind "The Moon: Earth's Companion" Lego Art poster.

As a child, I was fascinated by space travel, astronomy, and all things related to the cosmos. I vividly remember visiting the Cape Canaveral Space Center and feeling in awe of the rockets and spacecraft on display. This passion for space has stayed with me throughout my life, and it is what inspired me to create this Lego Art poster.

Another interest of mine is maps. I enjoy creating highly detailed maps built out of Lego that convey topographical details in 3D. This passion has also influenced my approach to designing the Moon for this poster. I wanted to make sure that the unique craters and terrain features were accurately represented, and that the Moon's stunning topography was captured in as much detail as possible.

In addition to space and maps, I'm also a big sci-fi and design fan. This has informed the cool, retro style of the poster, which I hope will appeal to others. It has been enormous fun to bring all of these passions together in this submission. 

I'm thrilled by the support that "The Moon: Earth's Companion" has received so far, and I'm grateful to everyone who has taken the time to click the SUPPORT button. Please continue to share this project with others who might be interested, and let's work together to reach the 10,000 supporters goal.

Thank you for your support!

- SharkyBricks

Dear supporters,

Thank you for your continued support for "The Moon: Earth's Companion". As I work on this project and other builds, I invite you to follow me on social media to see behind-the-scenes photos and updates.

You can find me on Instagram at @sharkybricks and Twitter at @sharky_bricksI share progress photos, design insights, and other Lego builds, including my highly detailed map MOCs that I'm sure will pique your interest.

I also invite you to join the Lego Maps Facebook group, where we discuss all things Lego and maps. You'll be the first to know about new projects, and we can share tips and inspiration for creating amazing Lego builds.

Thank you again for your support, and I hope to see you on social media and in the Lego Maps group soon!

-SharkyBricks